Page 49 of Cruel Titan

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Quinn

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Asher asks as we walk down the hospital corridor.

“Yep.” I reply, lightly knocking on the door before pushing it open. Predictably, Lindsey greets me with a hug, and I cherish it.

“I’m so glad you are okay,” Lindsey says as she keeps her embrace snug around me for a minute before letting go and turning to face Davis, who is watching us from his hospital bed.

I wait for him to yell at me. Tell me how stupid I am, but instead, he signals for me to walk to him. As I do, he opens his arms, pulling me into a warm embrace when I reach him.

“I’m so glad you’re okay too.” He rubs his palm against my back. “But that was a really bonehead thing to do. Do you know how dangerous that was?”

I laugh as tears fall down my cheek. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll try to listen next time.”

“No, you won’t.” The amusement is in his voice, but I think only because there won’t be a next time. It’s finally over. Just one last thing.

“I heard you might be released next week.” I glance to Lindsey before looking back to Davis.

“Yep. But they still won’t authorize me to go back to work yet.”

“Poor Lindsey,” I joke, knowing Davis will be at home and going stir-crazy all day. “I think she deserves a good vacation, maybe a house, and a bonus for putting up with you.”

Davis chuckles, looking over to his wife. “She deserves that plus more for putting up with me.”

“Agreed.” I pull out an envelope from my bag and hand it over to Davis. “I think you both deserve so much more.”

Davis eyes the envelope then pulls the contents out. The deed is the first page, followed by the information to receive a wire transfer in the amount of four million dollars. He looks back at me, “Quinn, we can’t accept any of this.”

“You can and you have to. You risked your career and almost lost your life to help me find out what happened. And without Lindsey,” I look at her as she reads the papers and looks at me like I’m insane, “I wouldn’t have been okay after my dad was found. You were taking a nap and Lindsey was the only person I felt like I could remotely trust.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Lindsey says, clasping her hand over her mouth as tears fill her eyes.

“Just say that I am welcome anytime to visit and we’ll call it even, because I have a feeling with the both of you living there, it might feel a little more like home.”

“Of course! I expect you there to help me keep this one in line.”

Davis shakes his head at Lindsey before looking to me. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I hug him again as I whisper, “Thank you for everything.”

Asher chats with Davis about some things involving Victor while Lindsey and I take a seat on the sofa, catching up for a while before we leave Davis to rest.

Heading out the hospital, we walk in silence until we reach Asher’s car, sliding in as he starts it up. “Where to?”

Looking over to him, my mind is still on overload, but there’s only one place I want to go—Nathan’s house. “Home.”

Epilogue

Quinn

Two years later

Standing at the base of Chappell Canyon, I’m overwhelmed with so many emotions I can’t process them.

“Ready to climb?”

“No,” I shake my head, knowing he will get pissy if I back out, but he won’t give me a hard time. He gets that it’s about more than just climbing. And I want to climb. I miss it. But I miss my dad too. Nathan and I have grown even closer, but nothing can replace the relationship I have with Stanley. The man that loved me as his own and ended up catching me when I fell even though I hadn’t realized it until after he was gone.